Today Moleskine, the company which made the act of taking notes and capturing thoughts a joy, debuted on the Italian stock market in what appears to have been a successful IPO.Early adopters of Moleskine when it came back on the scene in the late '90's (I'm glad to say I was one) probably regret a little at how ubiquitous the Moleskine has become but that's to be expected when niche moves to relative mass - especially with financial targets to hit.
Almost exactly four years I blogged about my love of Moleskine (and Sharpies) and I'm pleased to say that love affair continues - fueled by a massive expansion in the range - there is indeed a Moleskine for all occasions - every size, every colour.

It is a "luxury" proposition that works on two levels. Firstly, it's price point, quality and communication & retail strategy deliver against the lux-checklist but secondly, the emotions that using the product elicits provide that essential layer of inner luxury gratification. It's a clever mix and achievement. Converting the everyday to the luxurious essential. (They just need to keep away from some of the desperate supporting products they have been pumping out - their NPD team need a shake-up for sure).

Moleskine takes me neatly to a product which has moved rapidly from "useful to have and browse every couple of days" to "essential that this site is up an running on my desk top or to hand in an app"....LinkedIn. I mention it in this blog because in an effort to become even more sticky in the life of those of us on the move it has become a great vehicle for content sharing - it's longer just an online Rolodex ! This week they have been running a great feature called "Things I Carry". A fun insight into what many of our business mentors and heroes carry as they go about their business. It's good to see a smattering of Moleskines in there.

It's a reminder, for all of us, that tech is merely the enabler, like pencil and paper. The true talent is what lies in your mind, the luxury of time to think and the ability to communicate it to the appropriate audience.